Strays
by Ara Vitus
Summary: When a certain circumstance forces two aliens to flee their planet to the foreign planet Earth, an apartment owned by two stoic brothers becomes a shelter to the hidden refugees. Will they maintain their disguise and sanity while dealing with both their problems and that if the Strider family? Pairings may include CrabApple, PepsiCola, Communism, and timaeusTriggered.
1. New pets

I know I should be finishing my in progress Hetalia story, but I could not resist at least starting my next tale.

The story may drift into a more serious tone if readers wish and may even involve more *intimate* interaction between the characters if it is requested.

Right now I am experimenting with my new fandom and some of my ships. If you do not enjoy it, I really don't mind. It is fun to write.

Though really, please enjoy! I look forward to criticism for my work. Please try not to be too hateful.

* * *

The sun had just began to rise as Dirk exited the nightclub, his long weekend nights starting to get to him. The long trek back to his apartment did not bother the stoic blonde. He just wanted to get home so he could rest for the short while that he had. As he neared his building, a soft cry sounded from the far corner of the entrance. Though he wanted to ignore it and keep walking, a shrill, louder cry stopped him. "Cats..." He muttered as two furry balls of gray appeared from the corner. The cats had unusual eyes that consisted of a yellow outer ring, which wasn't too abnormal, but a dark gray inner ring. The scrawnier feline had sparks of red erupting from the abyss of its dark concrete pupils which gave it an even odder appearance. This cat then proceeded to paw at Dirk's arm, claws gracing over flesh without leaving a mark. The nails matched the yellow of his eyes. It meowed softly, almost in a begging manner, as it pawed gently at the human's bare arm. "You lost, cat?" He asked, earning a questionable meow that sounded almost like 'yes'. Against his better judgment, he picked the two cats up ad headed up the long flights of stairs that led to his apartment.

As the three climbed the stairs, the cats reacted in vastly different ways. The cat with reddened eyes stayed still and tense while the other cat meowed loudly and squirmed in his arms. Dirk struggled to open the door as the latter feline fidgeted about. When the door swung open, the two cats pounced inside and frantically looked around. Once the door was shut the calmer cat ran toward it, pawing for escape. The second cat was stalking around as if he owned the place, rubbing his face against furniture and the walls and shedding on the floor. It was amusing to watch until another door opened, causing the animals to stop their exploring and glare toward the invading presence of a new human.

"Dirk, what the fuck am I looking at here?" The speaker had just woken up, his unhidden red eyes burning in aggravation toward tired orange eyes.

"They were rotting out there in the heat. Figured I'd give you something to be responsible for since you don't really do much around her. Pick a cat."

"Dude, no way in hell am I taking care of a flea-ridden fur-ball. Kick them back to the curve."

"Dave, pick a cat or I'll stop feeding you in order to feed them." Though the younger would never admit it, the childish threat actually frightened him slightly. He could never be sure when his psychotic brother was being serious or not.

"Fine, but we can hardly feed ourselves as is. If you want one keep one. Get rid of the other one." Dave demanded as he picked up the fluffier cat. Mewling and yowling filled the room at the idea of only letting one stay. The cat in Dave's hands sliced its claws deep into his shoulder, tearing at his favourite shirt. "Did you pick these cats up in hell or something!? Get off of me." He shouted as he threw the demon spawn away, grimacing as it landed perfectly on its feet. The two cats stood together, hissing at the Striders. "Great pick, bro, you found the most demented cats alive. Let's just drop them off with the Lalondes or something." Again the two cats protested as if they understood the plan to evict them. Dirk shook his head and approached the felines, one holding its ground and the other backing away.

"I'm keeping them both. You don't run this household, lil' bro, so you don't have the authority to get rid of something without my permission. Besides, maybe having a cat will give you something to do besides waiting for him to ask you out already." The cats' ears perked at the mention of a potential relationship and both sat up to listen attentively. The boys paused to note the odd behaviour of their new pets before continuing.

"I have no idea what you are talking about. If I take the cat will you stop being delusional?"

"We can find out." The elder replied cooly to his brother's rude comment. Silence fell between the two as the inevitable strife was about to happen. Just as one brother began to unsheathe his sword, the more docile cat meowed in protest. Dirk nearly dropped his katana to catch the scrawny cat that jumped into his arms. "Guess we'll settle this later..." He muttered, exiting the room with his new pest in an oddly slow and quiet manner, leaving Dave alone with his angry cat. The two stared at each other coldly as if hate and distrust could be passed through eye contact alone.

"What do you want, cat? I don't have anything for you. Just sit out here and behave." The teen walked away from the strange cat and entered his messing room, slamming the door shut behind him.

"Meow."

"What?" Dave turned to see the cat sitting on his bed, a look of confusion on its face as he pawed at the soft surface. "How did you get in here. You were just on the couch." The cat did not respond or even acknowledge the question. He simply continued to analyze the bed. "it's for sleeping. Get off." Dave picked up his new pet and tossed him on the ground, receiving a hiss from the animal. It almost sounded like the cat had hissed 'Fuck you too!' as it scurried into the crowded closet to hide. Dave groaned as the cat made loud meows and moved things over aggressively from inside the dark space. "I don't have time for you, demon cat. I have music to make." With that said the younger boy put headphones on and forgot about his new problem while busying his mind with work.

"Meow."

"Stop."

"Meow."

"Please stop?"

"Meoooooooow!"

"What do you want from me, cat, I'm busy." The exasperated human muttered without a glance in the cat's direction. The two were as far from each other as possible without the feline having to hide.

"Mrow."

"Seriously, I'll kick you out. You can go back to wherever it is you came from." The cat stopped making noise as it contemplated the threat. Dirk glanced over to see the cat's fur standing on end and his back arched. "You can't possibly have understand me. That's illogical." He stated as if to reassure the fact to himself, walking over to the cat to examine its actions. He attempted to pick it up and earned a few slices across his tanned arm. It sounded as if the cat was hissing 'go away' before it hid under the bed. He looked at his new wounds, the cat's claws having shredded at his skin in a way he didn't think was normal. He could still hear hissing from under the bed. "Maybe I should reconsider letting them stay here..." Just as he planned to get back to work his phone went off. The text on the screen was a familiar green.

'We need to talk.'

'Okay, what about?' The following message made the orange-eyed boy frown. He swiftly exited the room, tossing the phone on the bed before slamming the door shut. He left the house before Dave could notice, music blaring to cover his abscond. The elder cat crawled out from his hiding spot and jumped on the stiff bed. He glanced at the message and immediately lept to the door, pawing for escape. The green text was burnt into the feline's mind.

'It's over.'

* * *

I'm currently working on chapter two so hopefully it won't be long before the next installment.

Have a nice day, thanks for reading!

(When did I become so happy? I guess it is the genre switch...)


	2. That's not my name!

Hello again. I don't have much to say other than I'll probably be using Ao3 after this point since I've had some issues with this site, so if you want to continue reading this it will be upload there instead. I'll keep the name obviously.

Also, I apologise for errors but I don't have anyone to read through it and correct things and I miss my own errors so unfortunately I cannot fix it.

Enjoy.

* * *

Loud meowing broke through Dave's music, forcing his eyes open in a rude awakening. "Cat, shut up." He groaned, throwing a pillow at the closet in an attempt to silence the cranky feline. The teen received only half a minute of shut eye before a paw on his face brought him back to the current situation. The younger cat stood above him, lower body resting on his chest. The meowing continued from another room in the house. "What the hell did he do to it?" Dave muttered as he slipped on his shades, earning an annoying hiss from his cat. "Sorry, your brother isn't an it. He is just the reason I hate life right now." The cat rolled his grey eyes and pounced of the bed, waiting impatiently at the door.

"Meow!" He cried, trying to jump at the door knob to escape.

"Whoa, relax there, flying feline, I got it." The second the door was open the cat scurried to Dirk's bedroom and clawed at the door, both cats meowing in unison. "Dirk, let your fucking cat out." The younger Strider growled as he tried to sleep again. A hiss in his ear interrupted his peace yet again. The young cat sat on his chest again, slate grey eyes glaring into unshielded crimsons.

"Help." Dave blinked in confusion, trying to make sense of how he heard a cat talk. He shook his head to banish the thought, picking up his cat and getting out of bed.

"Alright, I'll let your buddy out only if I get to tell bro off for taking you guys in and not actually taking care of you." He made a deal with the feline who seemed to nod in agreement. Dave opened his brother's room to find the elder cat curled up at the door. The younger lept from Dave's arms and pawed at the other.

"Gone." Dave knew he needed sleep if he was hearing cats talk. _Wait, gone? Dirk's gone already? _He glanced inside the room to find it empty.

"He left you all alone while he went to work? I mean I'm glad he didn't stick you with me, but he didn't have to lock you up." The cat shook his head and sprung up onto the bed, nudging Dirk's phone closer to Dave. "No way, little dude, I'm not falling for that one. I'm not dealing with a strife right now if he is here. Just go to sleep." The younger boy took both cats out of the room and shut the door so they couldn't cause trouble.

"Meoow!" The elder cat whined and bit hard into Dave's arm, the latter dropping both cats.

"Jeeze, I was just helping." Before he could do anything the younger cat hit the elder across the face, hissing angrily at him. "Weirdest cats I've ever seen..." He sighed as he shut the door to his bedroom and let the cats wander in the front from.

* * *

"Dave!" The yell startled Dave awake. He was tired of rude awakenings happening on his weekend.

"What? I'm trying to sleep, Dirk. Give me an hour it is four in the morning on a Saturday." Sure, he always woke up early thanks to his brother but this was ridiculous.

"Dave, the cat tore up the couch."

"Cool."

"And ate some of the rug."

"Hated it anyway."

"They maimed Cal." This got Dave's attention. He'd always hated that stupid, creepy puppet.

"Maybe we should keep them..."

"What did you say?" Dave chuckled as he exited his room to see the mess. The younger, fluffier looking cat was sleeping happily inside one of the ripped cushion. The elder, scrawnier cat was busy tearing up Cal's body. Dirk snatched the puppet away from his cat, a hiss following the action.

"Wanna switch? I think that one is cooler." Dirk sighed as he set his loved companion back in his room.

"No, I'm teaching this cat a lesson. Scold your cat."

"Nah, he's just sleeping like I wanted to be. I thought you wanted the cats." Dave teased as the elder cat continued to glare at Dirk.

"I didn't think they'd be so difficult. Maybe I'll contact her about this." The orange eyed boy shook his head at the thought, not wanting to involve a certain two people.

"Oh man, don't involve the Lalondes. They'll just assume we got cats because I'm single and lonely or some psycho-babble bullshit like that." Dirk didn't respond as he again tried to pick the hissing cat up. Three more scratches were added to his arms and the feline dashed out of the room and into the cupboards in the kitchen.

"Go to bed and take your cat...I'll just let him cool off..." He muttered as if speaking of another matter. Dave didn't have a chance to question his brother before the latter disappeared.

"Okay, weird." He shrugged, not wanting to be like Rose and pry. "Let's go sleep, cat." He picked up the slumbering cat, earning an annoyed and garbled meow, but no resistance like the other stray. "At least you are chill. Your brother is a psycho, huh?" Dave paused before shutting his door. "Oh great, now I'm conversing with it."

"I am not an it!" The red-eyed boy stared in disbelief. Sure, he was tired but not 'my cats can talk' delusionally tired. The cat seemed to pick up on his confusion and attempted to meow to cover his mistake.

"You talk."

"Meow?"

"Bullshit. What are you?"

"Meow..."

"What's your name?"

"Meow!" Dave pondered his next question carefully. He'd gotten it to talk originally by pissing it off so maybe that would work again.

"Your brother's kinda cute."

"Don't you dare flirt with him! He isn't even into that kind of thing." The cat snapped, snarling angrily at the human.

"Got ya. Okay, what are you?" He demanded, grabbing the cat when he attempted to escape.

"Fuck off."

"Man, you sound like you want a bath. Does the bitchy kitty want a bath?"

"Do I look that pathetic? I do not fear bathing. Humans intellect is obviously an undeveloped function." The cat freed himself from Dave's grasp and jumped on top of a desk. "I am a troll from Alternia, a complex world far greater then anything you could imagine. Basically, I am your superior in every way!" The alien cat announced, glaring with cold grey eyes at the teen.

"Troll? What, like hiding under bridges or annoying seven year old online? Either way that is officially the definition of lame."

"What the fuck are you prattling on about, you hornless waste of time? I do not hide under bridges or waste time pestering internet dwellers, I destroy pitiful creatures like you!" Dave stared up at the cat as he wondered if he should have let the obnoxiously rude alien continue to be silent as a cat.

"Got a name, your highness? Or should I just keep calling you 'Cat'?" He questioned with the raise of an eyebrow, making the cat roll his eyes.

"You do not deserve to know my name." The pretentious feline scoffed, earning a grin from his new 'caretaker'.

"That's alright, I'll name you myself, pussy-cat. How about Snowball?"

"I'm grey!"

"Soot-ball."

"Stop! That is not my name!"

"Whiskers?"

"Human, stop this instant."

"Mr. Mittens."

"This is degrading!

"How about Snuggles? I like that for a cuddly, harmless thing like you."

"Karkat!"

"Nah, that sucks."

"That's my name, fuckass." Dave looked up at the fur-ball, fangs bared as if he was ready to fight.

"No joke? You have an ironic name for what you are, Kitkat."

"My name is Karkat, moron, how hard is it to listen? Explain how this is ironic." He hissed, fed up with the humans odd terms for perfectly normal topics.

"Dude, I should not have to explain this it is that obvious. You're a cat with the name Karkat. Do I have to spell it out for you?" The alien feline rolled his golden-grey eyes at the comment.

"This is not my true form, you pitiful boy, it is a manipulation technique that my nuisance of a tag-a-long and I can use on anyone around us. Why am I even explaining this to someone who doesn't understand anything more complex than the concept of sarcasm."

"So, to fool me you are a talking cat? Yeah, those are not very common around here. Should have done better research, Karkitten. I mean we have this fat cat named Garfield but other than that I don't think cats are known for their chatty, bitchy personalities. Also, my name is Dave. Unless you liked the name Snuggles a lot more than you expressed I suggest you use my name." Karkat looked down at the rude boy in annoyance.

"Listen, Dave human-"

"Last name's Strider, babe."

"Don't call me that! I took this form to escape from my planet and hide undetected on your pitiful planet." The cat troll explained. "Now, leave me be, you insufferable prick!" He ordered, turning away from Dave in a show of disinterest.

"Alright, have it your way. See ya later, Karkitty." Dave walked away from the cat who was balancing on the cluttered desk. "That desk will probably break under your massive weight pretty soon."

"Excuse me! I am not fat. I am fluffy!" He shot back, hissing at the boy. He glance at the ground and then back at Dave. "Help me down."

"Excuse me?"

"Help me down!" He repeated nervously.

"What kind of cat can't jump down from a drawer."

"This one! Now help me, dammit!" Dave sighed and picked the fussy alien up, not wanting to hear him whine for the next few hours.

"You are the most pathetic alien I've ever met."

"You've only met one!"

"Okay, you are just really pathetic then." He placed Karkat on the bed and laid down. "Let me get some shut eye before Dirk comes to kick my ass for no reason."

"Dirk? Is he the one who holds contempt in my ancestor's eyes? Not that anyone is regarded with kindness by him..."

"If you mean my brother, than yeah that guy. What do you mean by ancestor? Isn't that scrawny cat your brother?" Karkat sat on the edge of the bed and stared at Dave in confusion.

"Brother? What is this weird human term you keep using? I am sure it is worthless information, but go ahead and explain your idiotic and primitive customs to me. I'm sure it will make you feel more useful and delude you into thinking your pitiful existence has meaning." Karkat only stood tall and mighty for a second before Dave kicked him off the bed. "What the fuck! Don't do that!"

"Sorry, my worthless existence just felt so empty without bothering you." He chuckled as he took off his shades and neatly set them on the only clean table in his room. Karkat was silent as he gazed up at his scarlet eyes. "What? Never seen human eyes before? They are basically like yours so I don't think-"

"They are nothing like mine! Don't relate that horrid shade to me!" The outburst shocked the human, giving the disguised troll the opportunity to hide before being questioned.

"What the hell are you talking about? Hello? Earth to Kitkat, come in Kitkat." He received no response from the eccentric feline. With a sigh of defeat he shut off the lights. "Night, freak." Dave thought he heard a soft mewl of pain from under the bed, but he shrugged it off and drifted into sleep once again.

* * *

"Get out of the cupboard."

"Hiss!"

"Seriously, there are spiders and shit in there." Dirk tried in vain to get his new problem out of the dusty cabinet. "I don't have time to deal with this, cat, I'm busy." the cat didn't respond as if to say 'Fine, go work then.' The elder resident began to wonder if taking in strays was a horrible idea. A loud growl from under the sink made him refocus. "Are you hungry?"

"Mreow." The cat swiped at his hand weakly as he tried to dram him out again.

"Look, if you stay in there all the time you will eventually starve. I don't want to deal with a rotting cat in my kitchen." Dirk waiting for a response but the feline stayed silent. "Alright, have fun dying. I'm sure your little brother will be fine without you." As he stepped away a soft, almost worried meow called to him. Orange eyes shifted to see the thin cat peaking its head out, sparks of red within grey and gold glancing up at him with great anxiety. "I've never heard of a cat that worries."

"Food." There was a pause before the elder human picked up the tiny cat.

"I'm going to assume that you didn't talk. You really do need food though. Nothing should be this thin. I think I can see your rib cage." The cat hissed and went to claw into his arm. Instead the feline found himself dropped onto the floor. He mewled in shock, looking up at Dirk as if he was just betrayed. "What? I'm not about to let you hurt me every time you are a bit upset. I'm not being pushed around by a cat." The elder Strider waited for a response of some kind before grabbing a can of tuna out of a nearly empty cabinet. "I should probably buy food for you guys tomorrow...and maybe something for Dave so he'll stop bitching. Ready to eat, cat?" A small sound alerted him to the presence of the pet on the counter, red cracks accenting yellow eyes as they stared defensively at their own reflection in dark shades. "That isn't blood I'm seeing in your eyes, is it? I don't have the money to get you checked out at a vet unless you are about to die. You aren't dying, right?" Dirk moved a bit closer, the cat holding its ground for once as if to show that trust might be forming.

"Dude, why are you staring at Kankri like that? Looks like you are about to jump the poor thing." A short chuckled made both elder brother's jump slightly. Dirk turned away from the cat to stare at his grinning sibling, no doubt pleased as punch over the small victory of startling his care-taker.

"Kankri?"

"That's the scrawny cat's name, I guess. Karkat said something along those line. I'm surprised it isn't just Kankat and Karkat. That'd make more sense." The younger only laughed until the fluffy feline in his arms hissed in annoyance. "Alright, I won't give your brother a nickname, Karkitty." The cat in question meowed angrily and pounced to the floor, looking up at Dirk as if he were waiting for something.

"You want something, Soot-Ball?" Dirk swore he heard the cat mutter 'Not that shit again' as he pressed his head into Dirk's leg as if to push him toward the table. "Guess you are hungry too. I'm going to have to get two jobs to feed two more mouths. So, it is Karkat and Kan-" He stopped mid-sentence as he turned to see the latter cat had disappeared without even touching his food. "-kri... He really isn't social is he?"

"Karkat seems to think he is better this way." Dave replied, the younger cat nodding as if this matter had just been discussed in private. Dirk placed one plate of tuna on the floor for Karkat, the latter rushing to eat it as if he'd been starved for weeks, before raising an eyebrow to his brother.

"You sound like you've talked to these guys. Since when do you bond with anything? Sounds like I need to get a Lalonde here. Maybe an exorcist actually." The comment made Dave's smug grin disappear.

"No, do not include the fucking Lalonde's, you know they will be on your ass just as much."

"You make a valid argument but I can't have you talking to cats as if they can understand you." The younger human sighed in annoyance as he glared uselessly at his brother.

"You were just talking to Kankri about how you weren't letting a cat push you around." He nearly shouted, a soft snicker sounding from Karkat as he sauntered out of the room. The grouchy cat meowed as if to call Dave back into his room. The younger Strider groaned as he turned to leave. "You totally let that skeleton cat treat you like his bitch, bro."

"I don't see how your fat-ass cat isn't doing the same to you." Dirk responded neutrally as his brother absconded, neither wanting to deal with each other at the moment. As soon as Dave left, a soft, hardly audible meow sounded from Dirk's feet. He glanced down to see Kankri pawing at his leg, stomach growling. "Oh yeah, you ran off without eating. Here you go, Kan-" He grabbed for the plate of tuna only to find it empty. "That son of a bitch ate all of the food. That was the last can of tuna." Instead of hearing an annoyed and starving cat meow, Dirk watched the tinier cat just walked away in acceptance and curled up in the corner of the room. Dirk sighed and grabbed what little money he had left before picking Kankri up. "I'm not about to deal with another apathetic kid trying to passive-aggressively get under my skin over food. Dave, I'm going to buy some food."

"That joke stopped being funny when I was seven, Dirk, I thought we were done with this shit!" Dave called back without bothering to leave him room. Dirk glanced at the feline in his arms who was being rather docile for being in someone's arms.

"Maybe I shouldn't buy anything for him." He joked, earning a deadpan expression from the cat. "I need to get out more this is just wasting good humour." Kankri tilted his head slightly as if to question the validity of said humour. "Okay, I know it wasn't funny, shut up. You don't get food if you are going to judge me." The cat stared vacantly at Dirk, mouth twitching as if he would say something if it would matter. "You are quiet for a cat, aren't you? Actually, for all I know cats are always quiet. I guess it is about time we leave. Don't run off or you will be on your own. I'm not about to chase after you." The elder boy continued to explain how things worked to Kankri as the two left the house, leaving Dave and Karkat alone.

* * *

"Did you hear that? He said Kankri is quiet. I wish that was fucking true!" Karkat snickered as he pranced around Dave's room, knocking over cups and tangling cords as he went.

"Man, could you be any less of a dick? Stop fucking up my room, you pompous rat." Dave muttered as he shut him door, going to fix all the things his cat messed with.

"I am not a rat! Listen here, Strider, don't think that I will obey your every word just because I am apparently being sheltered by you. This is strictly a selfish relationship in which we use each other to get what we want. There is no friendship here nor any other disgusting interspecies relationship." The grey fur-ball lectured, glaring in annoyance at Dave. "Got that?"

"How about no, get out of my room? I don't have to take care of an alien cat who is probably trying to take over my planet. I should probably be killing you and saving the world or something, right?" Dave responded, surprise accenting his otherwise stoic visage when the cat nervously laughed.

"We are not exactly warriors from our planet..." The feline responded, his voice quiet for once.

"So, why exactly are you two kitties here?" The albino boy asked, interested in how Karkat ignored the insult.

"I am not discussing this with anyone. We do not need to know anything about each other. It is best if you see us as stupid purrbeasts and we see you are ridiculous, weak aliens." Before Dave could say anything else on the matter, the resentful visitor buried himself in the messy closet again to avoid any further questioning.

"Whatever, Karkles, but you better explain some of this tomorrow." The feline hissed from his hiding spot but stayed put, not wanting to be goaded into giving out more information. He opted to curl up in discarded clothing lining the base of the closet, closing his eyes on the problems of the world for the first time in a long while.

* * *

"I really should have left you here..." An exhausted groan coloured the already tired words, portraying just how impossible it had been to keep the now rather content looking pet in order while around other people. "I don't think I've ever heard that much meowing. Not even the Lalonde's cats meow that much." Dirk glanced at the cat, a slight smile gracing its usually blank face and amusement lighting up its damaged eyes. "At least you are happy for once."

"Meow." Kankri pawed at one of the bags, his stomach growling loudly as he pushed it closer to Dirk. The far too full paper bag tipped as it reached the edge of the table, contents tumbling into the air as the plummeted to the ground. The cat watched with wide eyes as the bag was replaced seconds later, contents either in the bag or next to him on the table.

"Do not knock shit off the table. I will buy you a cage." The cat whimpered in a pathetic manner, backing away from Dirk with his ears folded back. "Are you afraid of being in a cage or something? I guess that makes sense for any animal. Just don't be unruly and it won't happen." The teen watched as his new pet began to hiss at him, reverting to its agitated attitude from the night before. "I'm not about to deal with this again. Look, just eat and go hide again." Dirk stated as he set a plate of tuna on the floor for Kankri.

"Meow..." The cat sluggishly jumped to the ground, swaying his tail in an almost depressed manner. When he looked up after eating his fill the human was gone. He sighed, laying down next to the practically full plate and closing his tired eyes. "I want to go home..."

* * *

How did I make a story involving cats depressing?


End file.
